Junelle B. BarcenaFebruary 6, 2013Diwa ng Lunan (Spirit of Place)

The Spirit of Togetherness

Filipinos are a sentimental race. We often take as many pictures as possible at events or at other happenings no matter how often they occur. We always have keepsakes and oftentimes, our homes are cluttered with these material items, each of which holds a different meaning or memory. This inclination to sentiment also applies to structures such as homes or buildings, or to other spaces such as a special spot in the park or a specific bench along the sidewalk. The feeling or memory we associate with a certain space makes it become, architecturally speaking, a place, while the feeling or memory itself is called the spirit of place, or in Filipino, diwa ng lunan. The first houses the Filipinos built oftentimes were composed of only one room where the family did everything together. The only separate entity was the bathroom, which was often placed outside. The typical day would consist of the father perhaps working nearby, the mother taking care of things inside the house, and the children either helping out or playing under the house where it was shady and cool. In this simple setting, the members of the Filipino family would create memories, strengthen their bonds, and associate their feelings with the home. In recent times, the Filipino home has evolved from the simple, one-roomed structure to the multi-chambered, concrete house, but the spirit of place is always present, especially in the childs earlier memories. Anybody who is asked about his or her childhood would probably conjure up images of playtime in the immediate vicinity of the home, birthday parties held in the living room, or the entire family watching television in the master bedroom. Even until now, when technology is dominant and the dining room has become perhaps the only space in the house where the family is still together, there is still the presence of diwa ng lunan, no matter how small the space it covers is. It is in this context that I define Filipino architecture as a space designed to cultivate familial relationships as well as provide a setting for the Filipino childhood. Filipinos are not very fond of putting up partitions unless completely necessary, and this I have witnessed in many houses. We often leave doors open and we prefer to be in the spaces where there are people. For example, at home during Sundays, my entire family stays outside near the hammock we strung between two trees. This is the reason why I think of that particular spot in the house whenever somebody mentions the word family, because Sunday is the only day were all home, and is therefore the only time we are able to build our relationships with each other. There is also this tree that once stood right in the middle of the sidewalk in front of our home. When I was in high school, it was under this tree where I waited patiently for a pedicab to ride to school. Most of the time it took me ten to fifteen minutes, and in that time I would reflect on the previous days occurrences as well as wonder at what that present day had in store for me. I had not realized it but I had associated those memories with the tree as well. When my mother decided to have it cut near the end of my senior year, I felt like a part of me, albeit a small one, had gone missing. I felt like it was harder to gain access to those memories and reflections I had under that tree because of its absence. Over time, I learned to live without it, but sometimes I think about that tree and the specific spot where I stood under it, and I remember high school. A house that is heavily influenced by western architecture is perhaps one of the places in the country that holds the least amount of memories. For instance, one of my classmates live in a three story house in a very prominent subdivision, where all the other houses are just as big, if not bigger, than theirs. As expected, my classmate and each of her siblings have a room and an adjacent bathroom of their own. I have also noticed that she and her siblings do not get along very well, and her disposition towards her parents is more formal than a normal person would be, almost as if they were business associates. True, they live in a big house filled with all the things that they like, but their family bond is weak compared to a family who lives in a smaller house and who therefore have bigger chances of seeing each other in a day. Diwa ng lunan affects the way we look at our surroundings and the way we think about spaces, and as it had been mentioned many times during the discussion, it would be a tragedy to spur a huge change in a place that holds many, many positive memories, especially if that place was the home. What makes a space become a place is the memory we associate with it, oftentimes with a specific person who we have built a relationship with, no matter to what degree, and since Filipinos value family above almost everything, it is just fitting that Filipino architecture focuses on keeping the family together instead of apart.